Improvement in apparatus for curing tobacco



Wnnsssrs:

C. S. PHILIPS.

APPARATUS FOR 011mm TOBACCO. N0.1"8z,597. Patented Sept. 26, 1876.

N.PE|ERS, PHO'IG-LITNOGRAPNFR WASHINGION, D. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

CHARLES s. PHILIPS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATL IS'FORCURING TOBACCO.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 182,597, datedSeptember 26, 1876 application filed June 20, 1876.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES S. PHILIPS, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Sweating and Coloring Tobacco, of which the following is aspecification Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my improvedapparatus taken through the lines .70, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a verticalcross-secgon of the same taken through the line y y,

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The invention will first be described in connection with the drawing,and then pointed out in the claim.

It is well known that a large portion of the tobacco grown never entersinto that state of .fermentation necessary to fully develop its burningquality, flavor, and dark color, so that it retains its wild rankelements, and its green and yellow leaves, andis therefore unfit forcigar purposes.

By my process such tobacco can be forced to sweat and color, and itsquality can be improved, thus reclaiming a large quantity of goodshitherto considered worthless.

In carrying my invention into practical effeet, I provide a steam-chest,A, of such a size that it will readily contain an ordinary case oftobacco after it has been unpacked and laid loosely in a square pile.The chest A may be provided with a false bottom,vB, and with a looseside or end, 0, hinged at its lower edge, so that it may be turned down,as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to serve as a truckway for runningthe tobacco in and out. Thejoint between the door 0 and the chest A ispacked with rubber c, or other suitable packing, to make itsteaIn-tight.

In the chest A, a little above its bottom, is formed a hole, a, toreceive the inlet steampipe, which should have a short T-pipe attachedto its inner end to prevent the steam from striking the butts of thetobacco directly, to prevent them from becoming too wet, which wouldcause them to mold after being repacked into the original case.

The chest A is provided with a hole in its bottom to receive asteam-trap, avalve, or a D is a truck of a shape and size to corre'spond with the interiorof the chest A, so that it may be run out and inreadily. The truck D is formed with vertical racks upon its sides, andwith detachable racks E to rest upon the longitudinal bars of its sideracks.

The case of tobacco to be operated upon is unpacked, and the tobacco,one or more hands at a time, is laid loosely in layers upon the rackbottom of the truck D. If the tobacco be not too dry and brittle, itshould be shaken out a little. As each layer rises a little above thehorizontal bars of the side racks, one of the loose racks, E, is placedupon it, and so on until the whole case has been transferred to thetruck D. Each layer should be moistened with water, sprinkled upon itwith a No. 5 garden-sprinkler, or other suitable instrument that willproduce a fine spray, from twelve to twenty-four quarts of water beingused upon each case, according to the dryness of the tobacco.

In moistening the tobacco, care should be taken to wet the butts aslittle as possible, as the steam will moisten them suficiently.

In packing the tobacco in layers upon the truck, care should be taken tolap the lower parts or tips of the leaves well upon each other;otherwise, as soon as the warm moisture penetrates the leaves they willsettle down, forming gutters, in which an excess of moisture willaccumulate, which will water-stain them and give them an undesirablecolor, and render them liable to be damaged.

As the tobacco becomes moistened and soft it settles down, and the racksE rest upon the horizontal slats of the side racks of the truck, whichprevents the tobacco from packing so closely as to prevent all its partsfrom being moistened evenly.

When the tobacco has been arranged upon the truck D and properlymoistened, the loaded truck is run into the steam-chest A, the door 0 isclosed and secured steam-tight by bolts or other suitable means, andsteam is admitted until it has attained a pressure of from three to fivepounds,which pressure is maintained for from five to ten minutes, duringwhich time any excess of moisture that may be contained in some of theleaves, will be vaporized and distributed evenly through the entiremass, and the tobacco will have settled so that the hands press uponeach other, and will be in suitable condition to sweat and color. Thesteam-valve is now nearly closed, only enough steam being admitted tomaintain atemperature of from 150 to 200 Fahrenheit for a sufficientlength of time to thoroughlysweat the tobacco and bring it to the depthof color desired.

The length of time will depend upon the quality and condition of thetobacco. Generally, from one to two hours will be sufficient.

The condition of the tobacco may be tested by withdrawing the truck andremoving a sample from the middle part. If not sufficiently moistenedand colored, the truck can 1 be replaced, and the operation continued.

When the tobacco has been treated a suffioient length of time it isremoved, and is ready for Stripping. The quality of the tobacco will,however, be improved by repacking it into the case, pressing it downuntil it occupies a little less space than it did originally, closingthe case tightly, and setting it away for three or four days. Thetobacco will retain heat for several days, and as long as the moisturelasts it will continue to improve in color and every other desirablequality, but care must be taken not to press it so heavily as to forceout the gum and cause itto blacken and cake like plug-tobacco. toimpregnate the tobacco with any substance, the said substance can be putinto the water used for sprinkling.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent A steam tight chest, provided with false bottom B,door 0 hinged at lower edge, truck I D, and racks E, all substantiallyas and for the purpose specified.

GHARLES S.-PHILIPS.

' Witnesses:

JAMES T. GRAHAM, T. B. MOSHER.

If it is desired

